Williams, Venus

Venus Williams , in full Venus Ebony Starr Williams, (born June 17, 1980, Lynwood, California, U.S.), American tennis player who—along with her sister Serena—redefined the sport with her strength and superb athleticism.

Like her sister Serena, Venus was introduced to tennis on the public courts in Los Angeles by her father, who early on recognized her talent and oversaw her development. She turned professional in 1994 and soon attracted attention for her powerful serves and ground strokes. In 1997 she became the first unseeded U.S. Open women’s finalist in the open era; she lost to Martina Hingis. In 2000 Williams won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and she successfully defended her titles in 2001.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams

At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Williams captured the gold medal in the singles competition and claimed a gold medal with her sister in the doubles event. In 2002 Serena defeated Venus in the finals of the French Open, the U.S. Open, and Wimbledon, but in 2005 Venus captured the Wimbledon championship. She struggled with injuries and competed in only a few tournaments the following year but went on to win her fourth Wimbledon in 2007. In 2008 Venus defeated Serena for a fifth career Wimbledon title, placing her fifth all-time in women’s Wimbledon singles championships. That same year the Williams sisters won their second Olympic gold medal in tennis doubles, this time in Beijing. The following year they met again at the finals of Wimbledon, though this time Serena prevailed.

In the ensuing years, Venus’s play declined, though in 2016 she won her 49th tournament. She did not return to a Grand Slam singles final until the 2017 Australian Open, where she lost to Serena. Later that year Venus reached the finals at Wimbledon but was defeated.